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Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite gadgets from the past week, including the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, Alienware M14x, and the Panasonic TC-P50GT30 TV.

CNET staff
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1 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Alienware M14x laptop

Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked best.

Alienware M14x

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Alienware M14x, Dell's latest Alienware laptop, manages to pack amazing performance into a smaller-than-expected body with plenty of configuration options.

The bad: High-end configurations can be insanely expensive, and Alienware's laptop design is overdue for a refresh.

The bottom line: It's tough to find mobile PC gaming in a package that's neither too big nor too small. The Alienware M14x comes very close, with plenty of component options and a size that's hefty, but not backbreaking.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $2,184

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2 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Epson WorkForce 840 all-in-one printer

Epson WorkForce 840 all-in-one printer

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Epson WorkForce 840 produces outstanding print quality in record time and offers an abundance of workhorse features, including autoduplexing, wireless networking, support for mobile printing, and easy setup for both USB and network connections.

The bad: Minor annoyances include slow photo print speeds and the omission of USB and Ethernet cables.

The bottom line: The Epson WorkForce 840 costs a bit more than the average all-in-one inkjet, but its strong performance and long list of features more than justify its price and CNET's Editors' Choice Award.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $195.59

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3 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Panasonic TC-P50GT30 flat-panel TV

Panasonic TC-P50GT30 flat-panel TV

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The Panasonic TC-PGT30 has excellent overall picture quality, with deep black levels, accurate color, and solid video processing. It can handle 1080p/24 sources and bright rooms well and exhibits the nearly perfect screen uniformity of plasma, as well as very good 3D picture quality. It includes a Wi-Fi dongle, its Internet suite is simple to use yet content-rich, and the styling is handsome with a 1.5-inch-deep panel.

The bad: Picture quality flaws include subtly fluctuating black and gray levels as well as inaccurate gamma that washes out shadows somewhat. The GT30 has fewer picture controls than the competition, doesn't include 3D glasses, and uses significantly more power than LCD TVs.

The bottom line: Excellent all-around picture quality combined with improved features and styling should make the Panasonic TC-PGT30 TV a favorite among bigger-spending plasma seekers.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $1,670

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4 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

T-Mobile G2x smartphone

T-Mobile G2x

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The T-Mobile G2x features a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor that delivers great performance. It also has a sharp design, plenty of multimedia features, and HSPA+ speeds.

The bad: The T-Mobile G2x's photo quality did not meet our expectations. The call quality could also be slightly better.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile G2x's simple Android interface, blazingly fast speeds, and polished look make it the phone to beat in T-Mobile's lineup.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $199.99

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5 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

Editors' rating: 4 out of 5

The good: The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G impresses with the addition of a touch screen and the Android operating system. The handheld also offers enhanced messaging features, great call quality, and a good camera.

The bad: The user interface won't appeal to everyone. The smartphone can occasionally be sluggish.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G continues the Sidekick's legacy as an excellent messaging device and also serves as a great entry-level smartphone.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $99.99

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6 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Acer Iconia Tab A500

Acer Iconia Tab A500

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Acer Iconia Tab offers Android Honeycomb on a 10.1-inch screen along with GPS, front and rear cameras, Adobe Flash compatibility, full-size USB host port, HDMI output, and a reasonable price.

The bad: The Iconia Tab is thick, and one of the heaviest consumer tablets we've seen. Some locally stored HD video files wouldn't play properly.

The bottom line: Acer's Iconia Tab offers the features of the Motorola Xoom at iPad-beating prices but weighs in as the heftiest Android tablet yet.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $49.99

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7 of 10 Sarah Tew/CNET

Asus Eee Pad Transformer laptop

Asus Eee Pad Transformer (16GB, Wi-Fi)

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: At $400, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer has the lowest price of any Honeycomb tablet. Also, its high-quality screen and relatively cheap keyboard/dock make it an attractive option.

The bad: A few things keep the Transformer from completely blowing us away: the choppy recording and playback of the camcorder; its sharp edges; a build quality that's somewhat lacking; and problems that arise when docking.

The bottom line: The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is a low-price, quality Honeycomb tablet with useful options.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $400

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8 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

2012 Ford Focus Titanium

2012 Ford Focus Titanium

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: A direct-injection engine and other efficiency technologies keep the fuel economy of the 2012 Ford Focus in the 30s. A voice command system offers excellent control over navigation, music, and paired cell phones. Automatic parallel parking is a nifty trick.

The bad: The dual-clutch transmission does not always shift smoothly. The touch screen is set too far from the driver for easy reach.

The bottom line: Although the 2012 Ford Focus has some quirks, it is a comfortable everyday kind of car that gets very good fuel economy and offers a full range of cabin tech.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $22,765

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9 of 10 CNET

Nikon Coolpix S9100 camera

Nikon Coolpix S9100

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Nikon Coolpix S9100 has fast shooting performance, a wide, long lens in a pocketable body, and several useful and fun shooting modes.

The bad: The Coolpix S9100's photo and video quality is soft, particularly at high ISOs and in low-light conditions. It also lacks auto picture rotation.

The bottom line: Nikon produces another solid point-and-shoot compact megazoom with the Coolpix S9100 by offering fast performance, good photos, and an excellent feature-to-price ratio.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $315.54

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10 of 10 Josh Miller/CNET

Pioneer AVH-P6300BT DVD AV receiver

Pioneer AVH-P6300BT DVD AV receiver

Editors' rating: 3.5 out of 5

The good: The Pioneer AVH-P6300BT DVD AV receiver has USB and iPod/iPhone connectivity as standard, as well as Pandora Link connectivity with compatible iOS 4 devices. The 7-inch touch screen is easy to view in broad daylight and from a wide viewing angle. Bluetooth hands-free calling features automatic address book sync.

The bad: Bluetooth audio streaming is not available, leaving owners of Android and BlackBerry devices stuck using the analog audio input. Voice command is also not available. Adding navigation to AVH's feature set requires a pricey external module.

The bottom line: For those wanting a large screen for DVD playback that can have an unobtrusive presence while not in use, the Pioneer AVH-P6300BT is a solidly performing option, especially for iPod/iPhone owners.

Read CNET's full review
Starting at $599.99

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